APS Division of Polymer Physics

APS Division of Polymer Physics
Name	APS Division of Polymer Physics
Formation	1947
Type	Professional society division
Headquarters	College Park, Maryland
Location	United States
Parent organization	American Physical Society

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APS Division of Polymer Physics

The APS Division of Polymer Physics is a specialized unit within the American Physical Society focused on the study of polymers, macromolecules, and soft condensed matter. It connects researchers from institutions such as Bell Labs, IBM Research, Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and interfaces with agencies like the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and National Institutes of Health. The division fosters collaboration among scientists linked to laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Max Planck Institutes, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

History

The division originated amid post‑World War II growth in polymer science when organizations like the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry expanded polymer programs. Early contributors included figures associated with DuPont, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, I.G. Farben émigrés, and academic groups at University of Chicago and University of Cambridge. Influential conferences such as the Gordon Research Conferences and meetings at Brookhaven National Laboratory helped crystallize the community. Throughout the Cold War era the division intersected with initiatives at Los Alamos National Laboratory and collaborations with European centers including CNRS and Max Planck Society.

The division promotes research and education in polymer physics, bridging investigators at institutions like Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Michigan. It advances topics spanning experiments at facilities such as the National Synchrotron Light Source, theoretical work tied to groups at Perimeter Institute, and computational studies performed on systems supported by National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Activities coordinate with societies including Materials Research Society, Society of Rheology, Royal Society, and Institute of Physics to support cross‑disciplinary initiatives.

Governance follows APS models used by units such as the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics and the Division of Condensed Matter Physics. Elected officers have often come from departments at Cornell University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University, California Institute of Technology, and University of Minnesota. Committees engage representatives from funding bodies such as the European Research Council and advisory groups connected to Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Leadership style echoes practices from organizations including AAAS and National Academy of Sciences panels.

The division organizes symposia at the annual APS March Meeting alongside sessions linked to the American Chemical Society national meetings, the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting, and thematic workshops at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Special sessions have featured speakers affiliated with Brookhaven National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, RIKEN, ETH Zurich, and University of Tokyo. Satellite workshops have been held in venues such as Sofia, Kyoto, Berlin, and Cambridge to connect with international programs like Horizon Europe and bilateral collaborations with Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

The division administers prizes and recognitions paralleling honors from institutions like the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, and the National Medal of Science. Awardees frequently have ties to laboratories such as Bell Labs and universities including University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Indiana University Bloomington. Recognition programs coordinate with awards in polymer chemistry and related prizes from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and fellowships such as the Fulbright Program.

Members publish in journals like Physical Review Letters, Physical Review E, Macromolecules, Journal of Polymer Science, and Soft Matter, and they contribute to books from presses such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Outreach includes partnerships with museums and centers such as the Smithsonian Institution and lectures modeled after programs at the Royal Institution and public engagement initiatives akin to those by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The division maintains ties with preprint platforms and repositories used by groups connected to arXiv, bioRxiv, and community networks involving LinkedIn and specialized portals run by Materials Genome Initiative collaborators.

Category:American Physical Society divisions Category:Polymer science